The larger-than-life historian, author and longtime San Antonio Express-News columnist T.R. Fehrenbach died Sunday morning — leaving a Texas-size hole in the hearts of those touched by his storytelling and knack for breathing life into history.

The iconic author was one of the longest-running Express-News columnists, with his work at the newspaper spanning close to three decades. He stopped contributing to the Express-News in late August, citing health reasons.

His wife, Lillian, said Sunday that she'll remember her husband as a Texas legend.

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“Most of the people that read his column loved it,” she said. “He wrote it to make people think.”

No stone was left unturned by Fehrenbach, whose columns covered major political, ethical and religious issues but also touched on the more humorous events in life.

His contributions garnered numerous awards, including military and literary honors, and his stories appeared in dozens of publications, including Esquire, the Atlantic, Texas Monthly and the New Republic.

Admirers of his writing style said he often used the lessons of the past to guide his analysis of current events. His most famous work, “Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans,” has been called the most widely read history of the state.

The book, praised for its attention to detail and narrative style, opens with a descriptive declaration that hints at his writing prowess: “In the beginning, before any people, was the land: an immense region 265,000 square miles in area rising out of the warm muck of the green Gulf of Mexico, running for countless leagues of rich coastal prairies, forests and savannahs. ...”

Historical commission Executive Director Mark Wolfe said on the group's Facebook page that Fehrenbach “was the embodiment of the Texas Historical Commission's mission to preserve Texas history and to tell the real stories of the real places of the Lone Star State.”

“His knowledge of Texas was unsurpassed and recognized the world over,” Wolfe said in the post. “He was a true Texas treasure who will be greatly missed.”

A retired lieutenant colonel who served in World War II and the Korean War, Fehrenbach left an indelible mark as a historian and writer.

Born in San Benito, he graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University in 1947 and headed the historical commission for close to 20 years. In 2001, Gov. Rick Perry named him commissioner emeritus of the agency.

“He used his vast knowledge of world history to illustrate that the broad issues of our time weren't much different than those of past civilizations,” Davidson said. “As a writer, he had a soft, nuanced touch. The message was delivered, but he didn't preach.”

In a 2010 Express-News report, the late columnist was described as an avid writer whose books — he's written more than 20 — have been printed in 10 languages. His book “This Kind of War: A Study in Unpreparedness” was cited by Arizona Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war, as one of the five best books about soldiers in war time. The Arizona senator said in a 2007 Wall Street Journal article that it was “perhaps the best book ever written on the Korean War.”

The book has been required reading at West Point and the Army War College. Fehrenbach was considered an authority on Texas history, the Korean War and the Comanche Indians.

San Antonio journalist and author Jan Jarboe Russell said she was saddened to hear of Fehrenbach's death. She met the columnist when she was a young reporter and said his generosity toward mentoring others and his integrity set a high bar for those around him.

“The biggest loss to San Antonio is his perspective of our city's history, and the second-biggest loss is that he is a man that believed in the power of ideas,” she said, adding that he encouraged others to “think our way forward.”

According to a statement released by family friend Vidal Martinez, Fehrenbach will be buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin “in acknowledgement and appreciation for his contributions to his country.”

Martinez said Sunday that additional funeral arrangements were pending.

In addition to his wife, Fehrenbach is survived by a niece and two nephews.